Sunday, July 29, 2012

The moments we share with the ones we love are priceless
& for me sharing the beauty of the natural world with family & friends
can’t be beat.Part of our family are
two wonderful dogs, Sydney & Adelaide.They are Australian Cattle Dogs & we love being able to take them on
adventures with us.

This month we visited Castlewood Canyon State Park in
Franktown.To get there take I-25 south
to Founders Parkway/ CO-86, go east about 12 miles & turn south onto
Castlewood Canyon Road.This is the west
entrance to the park & there is no visitors center here.You’ll need $7 cash for the entrance fee that
you’ll put into an envelope at the entrance.Park in the Westside trailhead parking lot.

The trail we took was a combination trail that when put
together becomes a perfect loop of this lovely canyon.The total length was 4 ¾ miles & took us
approximately 2.5 hours.Starting from
the parking lot you walkfor about .2
miles on the Falls Spur trail, when you reach the end of this trail we turned
left onto the Creek Bottom trail.This
trail begins at approximately 6,400 feet & continues slowly downward into
the canyon.

The views
from this trail are truly breathtaking as you walk along Cherry creek.After continuing for about 1 mile you’ll come
to the next trail on this journey, it’s called Rimrock trail.This trail will lead you up to the sheer
cliffs of the canyon.The trail moves
down at first & then back up to the top of the canyon, an elevation gain of
approximately 300-400 feet.

After you catch your breath from the climb you walk right to
the end of the canyon & you can then see the entire front range.The trail at this point is over the flat
rocks of the canyon top & a fairly easy journey with incredible views.This trail continues for about 2 miles till
you reach the Dam trail.

This trail brings you back down to the bottom of the canyon
with a fairly steep descent.The total
length of this trail is only a bit more than a ¼ of amile but we found this part of the hike
difficult because of the steepness of the descent.

Once you reach the bottom you connect again with the Creek
Bottom trail & continue right along Cherry creek until you find your way
back to the Falls Spur trail & back to the parking lot.The great thing about doing the hike the way
we did it was on this last spur of the Creek Bottom trail we could see where we
were at the top of the canyon.

We did this hike on a beautiful day in January but I advise
you to bring clip-on’s or something else for your boots to deal with the
ice.Since the Canyon looms over much of
the trail in the winter,it is a bit
treacherous at times.The dogs never had
an issue but we were walking very carefully in many places.Dogs are allowed in the park & on this
trail as long as they are leashed.I
encourage you to enjoy this wonderful & very different place.

Often in my life trying to find time to get away & enjoy
the outdoors is a challenge, since I’ve moved to Colorado that challenge has
grown because I long to be out in the beauty we have around us every day.I have enjoyed exploring this state &
look forward to continuing to find the best places to go & be a part of
nature.I thank all of you for your
comments & suggestions & hope over the coming years I can see all the
places that you each hold so dear.

Even though the mountains are close for many of us, when I
don’t have the time to run away to even the foothills, I’ve found a place that
warms my heart & allows me to see the front range in all its glory!This place is called Bluffs Regional Park,
it’s located off of I-25 south of Denver.The easiest way to get there is to get off at Lincoln Avenue go west to
Yosemite turn left (South) there’s a sign approximately ¼ of a mile on your
right side to turn & go to the end of the road.The park is free & accessible with dogs
or by bike if you prefer.

The hike itself allows you to see panoramic views of Denver,
the Denver Tech Center & much of the front range.There’s plenty of parking most days & the
path is fairly easy.The total hike is
approximately 2 ¾ miles with an elevation gain of only 250ft or so.The trail is well marked & there are two
separate side trails you can take to overlooks that are amazing.

When leaving the parking lot the trail splits to the right
& left (this is a loop trail), I have always gone to the right by doing
this you avoid the greatest elevation gain till about halfway through the
hike.If you choose to go to the left
the elevation gain is immediate.

The trail is very winding & moves through an urban area
that is surrounded by many houses.The
rolling hills that make up The Bluffs hide & reveal these houses at various
points throughout the hike.After
walking for 1/3 of a mile or so, you get your first look at the City of Denver
off to your right.As
you continue on the path the front range opens up in front of you & all the
glory of mountains can be seen.

The path continues to meander
through these rolling hills as you reach the halfway point you make a turn back
towards the parking lot, this is when the hike can become a bit difficult as
within approximately ¼ of a mile you walk up the highest of the Bluff’s
hills.Once you reach the top there’s a
path to your left that leads to one of the two lookouts, I encourage you to
checkout both of these view points as you can see for miles in all
directions.If you choose to continue to
the right in a few hundred feet there’s a trail that goes to the left to the
second lookout.I enjoy this spot the
best as you can see the trail below.

After leaving the last
lookout you work your way back to the parking lot.The total hike should take you between 1 –
1.5 hours & is lovely in any kind of weather.In the summer months you’ll want to pay more
attention to the bikers but overall for an urban hike this one can’t be beat.

The fall has always been my favorite time of the year.I love the cool mornings, crisp evenings, the
blue of the sky & the colors that abound this time of the year.I believe that knowing the winter is coming
makes this time even more precious to me.The days get shorter but I always enjoy being out in nature to enjoy the
changes that happen all around me.There
is beauty in each season & I appreciate every season for what it brings to
my life but the fall will always be my favorite.

The journey I’ll take you on this month is one of my
favorite hikes; Mills Lake, in Rocky Mountain National Park.If you’ve never been on this hike, I
encourage you to go & enjoy the place that was chosen as the picture of
Colorado, the back of the state quarter.

In the summer I encourage you to park at the park & ride
& take the shuttle to Glacier Gorge.There is very limited parking here so the shuttle is always the best
option.You can park at Bear Lake &
add approximately ¾ of a mile to this hike.The hike itself starts at an elevation of 9,240 feet & gains
approximately 750 feet along the way.Mills Lake is at 9,990 feet is the altitude alone makes this hike a bit
difficult for the beginner.From the
trailhead at Glacier Gorge the roundtrip distance is approximately 5.6
miles.I would give myself at least 3
hours for this hike, although the three times I’ve done it I’ve taken closer to
4 because I love to sit at the lake & take in the mountains that surround
it.

Starting from Glacier Gorge the hike begins with a stroll
through a wonderful Aspen forest.You feel completely surrounded by the Aspens
& it’s a wonderful way to begin this hike.The path ahead is fairly rocky so I hope to encourage you to wear a good
pair of hiking boots.As with most
trials in RMNP, the trail is well marked & easy to follow.

After leaving the Aspen forest you slowly begin your trek up
to Mills Lake.The first amazing view
along the way (& place that many families hike to & then return) is
Alberta Falls.There
is several great viewing places along the trail to see this lovely
waterfall.From the start of the hike
it’s only approximately ¾ of a mile to Alberta Falls so it is an easy place to
stop & enjoy the view.In the summer
months you’ll leave the crowds behind once you pass by the falls.

The trail ahead continues upward & the views along the
way can be breathtaking.There are many
places to ‘pull off’ the trail & take a look that the vast expanses of the
park because of the height of this trail on clear days you can see for miles
& miles.In the fall you can see the
mountainsides speckled with the color of the Aspens & the green of the
pines.

You’llcome to a fork
in the trail at approximately 2.2 miles into the hike.You have a choice at this point to turn to
your left & finish the Mills Lake trail or go to your right & head up
to The Loch.I’ve done both of these
hikes & they are both well worth your journey.The Loch finishes with a large elevation gain
right at the end so be aware of this if you choose this path.

As you continue on to Mills Lake you’ll move through a pine
forest & then into a very rocky part of the hike.You’ll traverse a few boulders as you make
your way up to the lake.The approach to
the lake is well hidden & you won’t discover the full glory of this gem
until you actually get to the banks of the lake.

Once you’ve made it across the boulders you’re almost
there!There are many places to sit
& take in the beauty around you once you reach the lake.I love to just sit on the bank & enjoy
the mountains & the crystal clear lake.

The return is the same way you came, although it always
seems a bit easier to me because you are going downhill.I do caution you that if you are returning to
Glacier Gorge you’ll need to watch for the right hand turn near the end of the
trail.The natural trail goes forward to
Bear Lake & although there is a sign it’s easy to miss.

In my life, the time I’m able to spend outdoors in the
inspiring panorama that is Colorado,
fills me up to deal with my daily life.Without this time, I believe, I would feel empty inside & my life
would become dull & unfulfilled. I began this column to share with you the
passion I have for the outdoors & to bring you along on some of the hikes
I’ve been fortunate enough to enjoy in my short time in the state.If you have a favorite hike that you think
I’d enjoy going on, please feel free to contact me. My information will be at
the end of the article.Regardless of
what your passion is for nature I hope I can inspire you to spend more time
enjoying the beauty around you.

EmeraldLake is one of the many trails in RockyMountainNational Park.The trailhead is in the Bear Lake area of the
park.During the busiest times of the
year I would suggest parking at the park & ride to take the free National
Park shuttle to the BearLake trailheads.There is ample parking at BearLake
on most mornings but as the day goes on even this lot becomes quite filled,
save yourself the hassle during the summer months & enjoy the ride on the
shuttle.

The trail begins at the end of the parking lot & BearLake
is just ahead of you to the right.I
suggest a short walk to BearLake before you begin;
there are many interesting things around the lake but for me, I just love to
stand & take in the beauty of the lake before I begin my hike.

The trail to EmeraldLake begins just to the left of BearLake
& is at a starting altitude of 9,475ft.The trail is only 3.6 miles round trip & gains approximately 600ft
on your ascend to Emerald Lake.This
altitude gain is fairly moderate except for the fact that you are starting so
high to begin with.The trail itself is
easy to follow & most people will find it an easy hike.

As you begin the trail is shrouded in a beautiful Alpine
forest.You are drawn
into this forest as you move along the path, you’ll discover many wonderful
places to pause & enjoy the scenery.As you journey upward you’ll pass a couple of other lakes on your
way.The first is NymphLake & the second is DreamLake.Each of these lakes has their own special
qualities.We paused at each to take in
& enjoy the view.

The lakes are fed by a wide variety of streams, some very
small & some bigger & faster moving.We liked the sound of the water along most of our journey &
occasionally we’re surprised by a beautiful waterfall.

The view through the tress can be breath taking at times as
the mountains around you are almost framed perfectly by the pines in front of
you.These are the
moments when I become completely swept away & the thing I loved about this
hike was that there was so much diversity to look at all around you as you
walked.

When you reach DreamLake the path shifts to
right to go around the lake.At this point
you only have approximately 7/10’s of a mile to go.You also have the choice at this point to
head to LakeHaiyaha which is approximately 1.1 miles
away.You can create a loop from LakeHaiyaha
back to BearLake but your total hike will nearly
double.The total mileage for this journey
would be approximately 6.5 miles.

When you reach EmeraldLake you’re rewarded with
an amazing view of the mountains all around the lake.We sat for a good 30 minutes to take in the
beauty around us.While we were relaxing
we were joined by a yellow-bellied marmot on the rock next to us.

The journey back to BearLake
is fairly easy as you continue downward the whole way.I would give yourself 2.5 to 3.0 hours to
complete this hike so you have plenty of time to take in all the scenery.Also worth note; the BearLake
region is a popular place to snowshoe in the winter & many of the trails
are open year round for your enjoyment.

Too often in my life I forget how important it is to get out
into nature, relax & enjoy the splendor of the land that surrounds me.My life gets way to busy between work, home,
friends & family.I believe I’m
doing fine because I keep moving forward but I forget that without my deep
connection to nature & the outdoors, I am never as complete as I can
be.I have made a promise to myself that
I will try to get out into the mountains at least every other week.As my knowledge of the area grows & I
begin to find different places to go, my heart fills with the discovery of
these new places.I hope as I write this
column that I can give you a small sense of the wonder that I find in the simplest
things & I hope if nothing else through my writing & pictures I compel
you to venture out into the great expanses of Colorado.

Cub Lake:

In the short time that I’ve been here one of my favorite
places to go on a regular basis is Rocky Mountain National Park.As I continue to write here I’m sure that I
will share many of the trails that I’ve had the opportunity to explore in this
beautiful place.Today I want to bring
you along to Cub Lake.

Cub Lake can be a fairly easy hike, the trail length from the
Cub lake trailhead to the lake itself is only 2.3 miles (or 4.6 miles
roundtrip).My wife Heidi & I
decided on this day to make the hike a little more difficult by creating our
own loop back to the Cub Lake trailhead.We did this by adding a second hike to the Cub Lake trail, the
Pool.The pool hike is 1.7 miles one way
& this trail ends about 1.2 miles from Cub Lake.By adding this trial & the transition
from Cub Lake to the pool & from the Fern Lake Trail head back to the Cub
Lake trail head we hiked approximately 6 miles.

The hike begins at an elevation of 8,080 feet, if you’re
going to drive yourself to the trail head you need to get there early.There is very limited parking at both the Cub
Lake & Fern Lake trail heads.The
national Park Service during the summer months has a free shuttle that will
take you to Cub Lake.This shuttle runs
approximately every hour fromthe park
& ride location.

The trail begins in a beautiful meadow.You walk for a ways across this
meadow with lovely views of the surrounding peaks everywhere you look.There are some aspen trees interspersed with
the meadow but for the most part you are just walking through a vast wide open
meadow.Within ½ mile or so we came
across a herd of Elk.

These Elk were so close to us we could have reached out & touched
them.We allowed them to move as they
wished & slowly continued on the path forward.

Cub Lake, according to the National Park service, is a moderate hike that gains 540 feet in elevation as you move up to the actual lake.The views you are able to enjoy on this hike make it well worth your time & energy.

The trail ahead can be rocky, I always suggest wearing a
good pair of hiking boots even in the warmer weather.This gives you plenty of support as you walk
along the rocky trail.

The hardest part of this hike is that all of the elevation gain (540 feet) is in the last ½ mile or so.The first 2 miles are relatively easy as you cross the meadow & move through the valley between the soaring peaks of the Rockies.

Cub Lake from this approach isn’t the easiest to see right
away, as you move along the upper backs of the lake you’ll be rewarded with a
magnificent view.

We
sat & enjoyed the lake for quite some time before we began our journey
across to the pool trail.

The walk from Cub Lake to The Pool is through a forest.The trees truly surround you along this path.I imagine I’ll need to re-visit this hike in the fall to take in all the beautiful colors on this segment.

Besides the trees the path is dotted with
wonderful waterfalls & the sounds of the Big Thompson river.

The pool is an interesting place where you can enjoy the Big
Thompson river up close.The true power
of this river shows as it churns into the backwater that creates the pool.This is a very crowded area & thus can be
difficult to find a place to sit & enjoy the pool.We only stayed for a brief period of time but
we’ll always remember the power of the water.

The final return back to the Fern Lake trail head is again
through mostly an open meadow that runs parallel with the Big Thompson most of
the way back.Again this portion is
fairly easy.Once you get to the Fern
lake trail head you’ll have to walk back approximately ¾ of a mile to reach
your beginning point at the Cub Lake trail head.If you took the shuttle you can pick up the
shuttle at Fern Lake as well.

This hike will take you between 3-4 hours depending on your
pace & how much time you spend that the various outlooks along the
way.Heidi & I took about 5 hours to
complete this hike.